Textured Tweety

Our local public radio station helps to sponsor the quilt expo in Madison. It’s a huge annual event with numerous vendors displaying and selling their goods, demonstrations, lectures and classes. I’ve only been attending the event for about five years. Just imagine all the fun I missed out on before that!

Prior to the expo a multi-page brochure is mailed to potential participants. Usually I browse through looking to see what’s being offered, then toss it into the recycle bin. For some unknown reason this year was different. Perhaps it was the shared excitement of my friends on social media. Whatever it was I had this craving to devour every word. As I thumbed through the leaflet I found myself turning over the corners on several pages. These were the pages advertising the available classes.

Deciding which class to attend was difficult. If I could find a way to be in multiple places at one time I definitely would have tried. In the end I registered to participate in a class led by Wendy Butler Berns.

The class was titled Textured Tweety. I chose this three hour class because it would provide tips and tricks on the utilization of texture in art pieces. The products mentioned were unfamiliar to me. I figured why not expand my knowledge and adopt some of her methods. I found the class to be very fast-paced yet informative. I learned a lot during those three short hours.

As is often the case, I did not come home with a finished project. Given the size of the class, the different skill-levels and the amount of information we had to cover there was no way we could finish. It is sort of sad because I find that to be the biggest drawback of attending classes. So often the time allowed falls far short of whats needed. I had hoped to be much further along at the end of the morning but alas it wasn’t meant to be. Sigh

Here’s photos of the fabrics I chose for my project and the progress I made.

If you use your imagination I think you can visualize how my Textured Tweety should look. Tweety currently is just resting on the faux branch. I still have to cut around the bird to remove the excess fabric, attach her to the branch and add her legs. She also needs an eye and a wing. The sun in the upper left corner also needs to be cut out, attached to the sky and have emanating rays added. Other than those loose ends I still have to sew the two background fabric pieces together, fuse the teal sky to the background and add embellishments. After thats all taken care of I need to make a quilt sandwich, quilt it and add either facings or a binding. Last but not least I must make a label and give my birdie a name. Whew! Sounds like a lot of work doesn’t it! Makes me tired just thinking about it. 🙂

I promise I will share the finished Tweety when and if I am successful. Perhaps if you cheer me on I just might make it! Let’s hear it for Tweety!

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20 thoughts on “Textured Tweety”

I like your proposed project. It looks like the background is layered pieces of that fabric? I like what you are already calling this. It’s descriptive and arty sounding. Probably best to finish him soonest rather than waiting. Unless you are reviewing the notes on the class weekly, and took really good notes, by spring, you will have forgotten almost everything. It’s called the forgetting curve – within a week, if you don’t go over what you learned, you forget almost all of it. Consistent periodic review can help you remember about 80% over a 3-month period. Having worked on some of the ideas you learned will help stretch out the forgetting curve, too, as will things like how important it is to you, how much of it you already knew, how well it fit into your own brain’s knowledge framework. Sorry, I think I got carried away. LOL The bottom line is either review often or don’t leave it too long.

Tierney, The name does sound fun and inviting. He’s is still hiding under my long arm quilt machine in his little project box. Maybe after I finish longarm quilting someone’s project…..wonder whose that is……I can finish him. Although, it’s pretty cold out now so he probably wouldn’t mind waiting until spring. 😊 I had fun picking the fabrics. Thank you for your very sweet compliment! 😊♥️

I understand what you mean by the classes and unfinished project. When I was doing decorative painting I had the opportunity to take a 5 hour class with Priscilla Hauser, the Queen of decorative painting. After paying $50 for the class and another $40+ for supplies the only thing we did at the class (other than meet and listen) was to receive a small pattern for a rose. Although I enjoyed meeting her I would feel better if the ‘class’ was advertised as a Meet and Greet and not a class. No one there even picked up a paint brush after buying the special brushes required.

Hi Cindy,
If you can imagine this, I have never attended the Madison show yet. And I’ve lived nearby for most of my 59 years! Good grief – think of all the fabulous stuff I have missed. I love your fabrics – that picture of all of them looks so pretty. Tweety looks like fun, too! I can easily see the texture – how fun. I had picked out several classes to take but in the end it is just poor timing for me. School had just began and it is SO busy the first few weeks. I’m counting on going next year though . . . and signing up early for the classes I want to take! ~smile~ Roseanne

Roseanne, Well u could look at it this way…think of all the money u have saved! Perhaps next year we could meet up for your inaugural voyage! 😁 Thank you for your very kind compliment. Tweety was a fun adventure. He’s been hiding since then though. I think he is kind of shy. He’s not completely dressed so he might have a modesty issue. I will have to see what I can do to help him out. 😂